That The Planets occupies a place at the heart of the English musical repertoire is indisputable, yet much of the orchestral output of Gustav Holst is unjustly neglected. Chandos’ series devoted to the composer demonstrates that he was a composer whose inventiveness and originality was not limited to one work. The series was to have been conducted by Richard Hickox, but Hickox sadly died in 2009 after completing Volume 1. This was released to great critical acclaim, Gramophone stating that ‘Richard Hickox’s final project, reviving little-known Holst works, is a triumph’. In this second volume, Sir Andrew Davis, an exclusive Chandos artist, has taken the baton, conducting the BBC Philharmonic in a unique programme: The Planets, Holst’s orchestral tour de force, as well as two comparative rarities in the concert hall, the Japanese Suite and Beni Mora.